Puppy Love
by Tozz
Summary: NickxMaya ficlets and drabbles using set 30-A from the 100 prompts livejournal community. Prompt 012 - Fantasy is up.
1. 004 Puppy love

Okay, so here's my third and final PW fic for now :P Unless inspiration randomly strikes!

As I said in the summary, it's random NickxMaya scenes of varying lengths. I'm using the first set of 30 prompts from the 100_prompts livejournal community, so eventually there will be thirty "chapters" in all. Each one is a numbered prompt, but they don't have to be done in order.

So...first up, prompt #4: puppy love :D This one ended up being longer than I thought, mostly because of Gumshoe XD but I really wanted to include him in something. :3 Please enjoy!

Oh yeah, and reviews are majorly appreciated. :O

x x x

**004. Puppy love **

Phoenix was trying to get more information out of Gumshoe about the results of the current investigation, and, as usual, the detective wasn't being as cooperative as he would've liked.

"Come on, Gumshoe! I promise Nick will buy you all the burgers you can eat if you tell us what you know!" Maya chimed in when it looked like things were going nowhere.

_(U-urk! That's not your money to promise, Maya!)_

Sweat ran down his face as he wondered just how many burgers the poor, starving Gumshoe _could_ eat, and it made him want to cry. "M-Maya…let's not get hasty…" he said quickly, before Gumshoe had a chance to respond.

"Oh, Nick! Don't be stingy! It's for the good of the client! We _need_ this information!" She had her hands pressed together and a giant grin on her face: full-on charm mode.

But Phoenix wasn't falling for it. "I'm not being stingy! If I spend all my money on Gumshoe, how am I supposed to afford _your_ burger consumption habits?!"

"Didn't anyone ever tell you? If you don't give a little, you can't expect to get anything back!"

_(Ouch! Way to make me feel guilty, Maya…)_

_(But then again…it'd be nice to be on the receiving end for once, instead of always giving my money away.)_

_(Come to think of it, when will it be her turn to give?!)_

_(*sigh* But it's useless to think that way with her.)_

"W-well, I'll think about it…" Phoenix conceded, knowing that Maya had already won.

"Ohohoh, I remember puppy love," Gumshoe suddenly interjected, his shoulders shaking with his enigmatic signature chuckle. It was always hard to tell if he was being ironic or idiotic.

"Wh-what was that?" Phoenix asked, feeling clammy again. He stared at Gumshoe with a half-lidded grimace; he had a feeling he already knew what he meant.

"Heh, you know what I'm talking about, pal. Puppy love. Like you and Maya, always going at it when you're really…." He trailed off, his eyebrows jumping up suggestively.

(_I knew it!_)

"That's—" he began, but Maya interrupted him.

"Huh?! Are you calling Nick a dog?" she exclaimed, clenching her fists and puffing out her cheeks.

_(He would be calling you a dog, too, Maya, if that were the case.)_

"Yeah…in a way…" Gumshoe replied, looking off to the side with a wry grin.

_(But…that's not what you were saying at all…)_

_(Ugh. Whatever.)_

Suddenly Phoenix was socked in the arm. "Hey! Are you gonna let him talk about you that way, pal?!" Maya cried, though he couldn't tell if she was actually upset or just trying to start trouble. He figured the latter.

_(After all, it's always the latter, it seems.)_

"Just forget about it, Maya. Gumshoe doesn't know what he's talking about."

Maya paused, seeming to consider it. Then Gumshoe was next to be given a punch.

"O-ouch! What was that for, pal?!"

"Are _you_ gonna let him talk about _you_ that way, pal?!"

"Well, I'll let it slide this time." Another chuckle.

Phoenix sighed wearily. They'd gotten so off track—and Gumshoe and Maya were to blame, as usual.

_(At least those two forgot about Maya's all-you-can-eat burger offer. I hope.)_

Though he tried to push it out of his mind while he steered the detective back to the original topic, he couldn't help but think about the comment Gumshoe had made. In fact, he kept thinking about it, even long after their conversation was over.

_(Puppy love, huh? Is that how it looks?) _

_(I wonder…)_

_(No, no, wait! There's no way I'm taking Gumshoe's word for it when it comes to romantic matters! He probably doesn't even know the meaning of 'puppy love'…)_

He heaved another sigh and thought of Maya's reaction. He wondered if she'd just been playing dumb with Gumshoe, and if so, was it to hide something? She'd done a good job of it, if that's what it was.

And even though he felt silly, he wondered what she really thought about it.

And then he let himself consider the possibility, just for a few seconds.

His face reddened.

_(Puppy love, huh? I wonder…)_

x x x


	2. 026 Writer's Choice

This time it's prompt #26: Writer's Choice. I wrote this a while ago when the scene just randomly popped into my head :P It's pretty short~ For the context of this fic, we'll say it takes place before Nick meets Iris at Hazakura Temple.

And aww, no reviews? That's okay since this is up on CR too, but I do like getting them X3 Tell me what you think if you have the time :)

There will be another update next Wednesday. Enjoy!

x x x

**026. Writer's Choice **

"Can I ask you something, Nick?" Maya tugged on the ends of her hair, at the moment having nothing to do but sit around and fidget.

"Mm?" Phoenix was going over paperwork for the upcoming case and was too busy to look up from what he was writing.

"Do you have…a_ type_?"

"A 'type'?" he echoed. His eyes were still trained on the paper in front of him, but his ears perked up a little in curiosity.

"Yeah, you know…like, I've never known you to have a girlfriend, so I was wondering what type of girl you go for?"

He stopped then and set down his pen. He seemed to be seriously considering her question, and it made her want to squirm in her anticipation. Finally, he answered, "…Red hair, I suppose."

Maya's eyebrows shot up in surprise. "Red hair?"

"Yeah, if she had red hair." Phoenix picked up his pen and resumed writing once more.

"Oh." This was strangely disappointing to her. "Isn't that a little weird?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well, you know…" She trailed off, looking for an explanation to justify her disappointment. "…It's a hair color, for starters! And why red, of all things?"

"I think red hair's pretty," he replied quickly, and a little defensively, she noted, though he probably didn't notice himself as his attention was focused back on his work.

"Oh. Yeah, I guess it is nice…" She paused, puzzling over this. "But what about other hair colors? Y'know, like brunette…or black…" It looked like he wasn't listening to her anymore, so she didn't get her hopes up.

"Mmm. Yeah, black's nice," he replied in an absent-minded tone. He reached over towards an open filing cabinet and began flipping through it, intent on finding whatever he was looking for.

Maya felt a giant smile creep onto her face. "And what about if she likes burgers?" she blurted before she could stop herself, taking advantage of his momentary distraction.

"Wait, what?" he paused in his search, giving her a bemused look. "What did you just ask me?"

She sighed noisily and pressed her hands to her pink cheeks, pretending that _he_ was being the silly one.

"Oh, never mind, Nick. It's nothing."

x x x

The truth was, he'd heard every word she'd said, right down to her last question.

"And what about if she likes burgers?"

He feigned hardness of hearing and distraction just so he wouldn't have to give real replies.

Because "Do you have a _type_?" had only one true answer, after all.

Her hair could be whatever color; he could care less. His "type" might like burgers, but not even that mattered.

No, none of it did. Because his "type" only needed one quality, and it wasn't red hair: it was a person.

Specifically, one black-haired, burger-loving Maya Fey.

x x x


	3. 023 Tower Block

Another update as promised :D This one isn't too fluffy guys, sorry...I wanted to get this prompt over with since it seemed kind of hard, so there ya have it. :P I had to look up what a tower block is, lol XD;;

Well, guess I don't have much to say about it. Thanks for the amazing amount of reviews, I'm really really happy! And looking forward to getting to hear more about what you have to say :3 Thank you, and enjoy~

x x x

**023. Tower Block **

"Hey, Nick!"

"What is it?"

"What's a 'tower block'?"

He didn't even bother to ask why she was asking; he was used to her endless and usually strange questions. "A tower block? It's a type of apartment building—you know, the really really tall ones in big cities."

"Whoa! Seriously?! No way!"

"Yeah…" He raised his eyebrows. She always got excited over the weirdest things. _(What's so unbelievable about it?)_

"We're totally going to move into a place like that someday, okay, Nick? Promise me! I want to live in a 'tower block'! That sounds so cool!"

"Wh-what?! Do you even know how much a place like that must cost? I mean, we'd have to move to a more urban area of the city…"

"So? You're gonna hit it big as a lawyer soon, I can feel it," she said with a knowing smirk. "And once that happens, you'll be rolling in cash. And then we can live wherever we want!"

He rolled his eyes at this, though he couldn't help smiling at her faith in him—plus, it was kind of nice to hear the phrase "rolling in cash" associated with his name. But he remained stern. "Why would I want to pay for an expensive apartment just because you like the name for it?" _(I already spend my money on far more pointless things, after all.)_ "And besides, '_we_'? Do you think we're going to move in together or something?"

Her smile faded and was replaced by an irritated expression. "What's that supposed to mean? Are you saying you don't want to live with me?"

He blinked, surprised by her question. He hadn't realized she'd even been considering it. He certainly hadn't. They'd always lived in separate apartments and he never saw any need for them to live together—after all, they saw each other nearly every day at the office. _(Though, then again, she's probably not really thinking about what she's saying.) _"W-well…I thought you liked having your own place?"

"Maybe so, but I'd be doing you a favor if we lived together! You may not want to admit it, but you need me, Nick. I couldn't leave you alone even if I wanted." The smug look quickly returned as she spoke and only grew as she pressed on. "As a matter of fact, you were barely scraping by before you met me. Gosh, what would you do without me?"

He paused and then smiled in amusement. _(Good question.)_ "Not spend money on burgers and expensive apartments?" he guessed, half-jokingly. He knew she'd helped him out in ways that he didn't always like to admit.

She nodded emphatically and pressed her hands together with an unfazed grin. "See? And what a tragedy that would be!"

x x x


	4. 001 Evidence

Heh, this is the longest one so far ^__^; As soon as I first saw this prompt, I knew I wanted to do a mock-investigation type thing with Nick having to unlock Psyche Locks with evidence. XD; I've never written a trial fic before even though I'd like to, so this was a fun small taste for me to see what it's like :D The bolded words are supposed to be like the highlighted words in the game. :P

Hopefully I didn't mess up horribly. o_O but as always, there's fluff :3

Reviews make me happy! And so do readers! Thanks everyone, and enjoy :)

x x x

**001. Evidence**

"Welcome back, Nick!"

"Yes, welcome back, Mr. Nick!"

"Hey, you two," Phoenix greeted the girls as he entered the office. He'd taken a trip down to the courthouse to file some documents and asked Maya and Pearl to watch things while he was away. "Any calls while I was gone?"

"Nope! But Pearly cleaned again, if you can't tell by the sparkling toilet! She even remembered to water Charley and dusted your law books for you! Isn't she the greatest?"

The younger girl pressed her hands to her face, clearly embarrassed but pleased. "Oh, Mystic Maya, I'm not…!"

"Heh, thanks, Pearls," Phoenix said, stooping down to ruffle Pearl's hair. "Though you don't have to bother with the books next time…I doubt I'll ever actually read them."

"It's not a problem, Mr. Nick!" Pearl replied with a glowing grin. "I'm happy to do it! It's the least I could do!"

"Hey, Pearly? D-do you think I could talk to Nick? Alone?" Maya broke in suddenly, looking uncharacteristically tense.

Pearl smiled wider, clearly ecstatic. "Of course! I wouldn't dream of coming between you two, especially on this special day! But remember: no fighting!"

_('Special day…?' I wonder what she meant by that…)_

He was suddenly struck with the feeling he was forgetting something, but he couldn't quite remember what. He decided to just forget about it for now and focus on whatever Maya had to tell him.

"Oh, Pearly…" Maya sighed, but Pearl had already skipped out of the room.

"What is it, Maya?" Phoenix asked curiously, slipping off his suit jacket and hanging it on the coat hook. "Is something the matter?"

"N-no, not at all! I just wanted to show you something." She still seemed on edge, which only made him more intrigued. He watched her go behind the reception desk and pull something out from beneath counter. It was a gigantic goodie basket—one of the really extravagant ones, the kind found in supermarkets everywhere around holidays. At that moment, he remembered it was Valentine's Day.

"W-wow!" He was speechless. "Maya, did you…?"

"N-n-no! Of course not! I mean…no!"

_(A bit jumpy, aren't we?)_

"Well, then where did this come from?" he asked, rubbing his chin. "Is it really for me?"

"Yes! It…it was…delivered while you were out. And I don't know who sent it. It was brought by some random delivery guy who said it was for you."

"Wow," he said again, although he felt a little suspicious. "There's no tag or anything?"

"Nope! Looks like you've got a secret admirer," she said, smirking—though it looked forced.

He chuckled at the absurdity of the idea. "Yeah, right. It's probably a prank or something. I'll bet Gumshoe or Larry or Edgeworth is spying on us right now, just waiting to see my reaction." Without really meaning to, he shot a quick glance at the window, but there was no one there. He relaxed a little in relief.

"Hah, yeah, you're probably right…" she answered, but her laugh was half-hearted. She looked down, not meeting his eyes. It was then he saw her face seemed a little red.

He was struck with an idea.

While she was still looking away, he quickly fished around in the pocket of the suit jacket still hanging on the coat hook and withdrew the Magatama. He kept his palm curled as he took it out, shielding it from view when he faced Maya again.

"Maya?"

"Y-yeah?" She looked up quickly with a startled expression.

"I want to ask you one more time…do you really not know who sent this?"

"Of…of course not! Why would I?" It happened instantaneously, as soon as she said the words—the chains shot out and the locks slammed down. Psyche Locks, of course. And she had three of them.

"Hmm…I have reason to believe that you do."

"Wh-whaaaaaaat? Wh-why?!" With her shocked outburst, a lock shattered.

_(Sheesh, that was easy…two more to go!)_

"Well, look at how you're acting, for one. I'd say it's pretty suspect for a person who claims ignorance!" He had his hands on his hips like he was standing in the courtroom, and felt a tiny, familiar surge of confidence in spite of himself.

"Th-that's crazy! You…you have no **evidence!**"

"Evidence?"

"Yeah! You can't just go around accusing people without evidence!" Her cheeks swelled like a blowfish and her fists were up like she was ready to fight—classic infuriated Maya. "You should know that better than anyone, Nick!"

"Y-yeah…I guess you're right…" he relented, feeling a giant, familiar drop in his gut.

"Hah! Got you there, didn't I?!"

"**Hold it!** I didn't say I didn't have any proof." He spoke his words with a renewed assurance as he regained his momentum.

"Ack!" She gulped audibly, her fists quickly falling back to her sides.

"I don't know exactly what it means…but why did you ask Pearl to leave before you showed me the basket?"

"Um, well, that's…"

"Clearly, it was because you **didn't want her to find out about the gift.**"

"…!" Maya put a hand to her lips, not replying. Another lock was smashed.

_(Phew…just one more…!)_

"Well? What do you have to say for yourself?"

She stayed silent for a few seconds longer before a grin suddenly creeped back onto her face. "Hah! Well, of course I wouldn't want her to find out!"

"H-huh?" His shoulders slumped when he heard her remark. "What do you mean?"

"It's simple! After all, you know how she thinks we're in love. She'd be really upset if she saw you got a Valentine's Day present from **another woman!**"

"**Objection!** What makes you think it was a woman?After all, you said **there was no tag!**"

"Oh, objection yourself!" Maya shouted, getting into it just as much as he was. "I highly doubt you'd get a Valentine's Day present from a **man!**"

"Objection! But earlier **you agreed** when I suggested it could be Larry or Gumshoe or Edgeworth!"

"O-objection! I…" She trailed off, looking like she'd finally run out of steam—and yet, the third and final Psyche Lock wasn't budging. "Y-y-you're being ridiculous, Nick! You've got it all wrong!" Her cheeks were once again puffed out and set aflame.

"Argh! Just tell me who it is already, Maya!"

"N-no!" She paused and bit her lip as if she were deliberating. "I know! If you're so sure, why don't you tell me who **you** think did it?!"

_(Who I__ think did it…? How would I know?)_

_(…Oh, come on, Phoenix. Just look at the evidence! It's __**right here in front of me**__, I know it!)_

"**Take that!**" he cried, thrusting out his finger towards the culprit. "It's got to be…**you, Maya Fey, of course!**"

"Gaaaah!" And with that, the final lock broke and the chains slid out of view. _(Unlock Successful. Yes!) _"Nooo! You're wrong!"

"Oh, give it up, Maya. I know it was you. I just broke your last Psyche Lock." He pinched her pink face with both hands and stretched it out, her embarrassed expression morphing into a comical one. "Just look at how red your face is! It was definitely you!"

"Wh-what? You used the Magatama on me?! How dare you!" She reached up, grabbing his cheeks and mimicking his actions. "I won't forgive you, Nick!"

They stood frozen in a stalemate. He refused to stand down before she did, and knew she would be just as stubborn if not more.

"…How come you didn't want Pearls to find out?" he asked finally, still pinching and pulling her face.

"Be-because…! It's embarrassing, of course! Plus, if she knew, I doubt she'd ever give it a rest—and she's bad enough already."

He had to agree with that. "But…why'd you lie to _me _about it?"

"Oh, Nick," she huffed, scowling as best she could with her face still temporarily warped. "I just said, it's because it's _embarrassing_, you dummy! Isn't that obvious?!"

For the first time, he felt a blush heating up his own ears and neck. "W-well…I guess I didn't think of that. You're right. Sorry."

"…" She stared at him, the mood turning suddenly serious. "Nick?"

"Y-yeah?" He felt himself break out into an anxious sweat, anticipating her next move.

"My face is getting sore."

"Oh. Right."

But before either them could release their grip, Pearl burst back in the room.

"Sorry, but I just couldn't wait any longer! I had to see what you two were up to—oh!" She stopped, one hand flying to her mouth when she noticed their strange positions. "I-I…I didn't realize…" She suddenly put on a conspiratorial grin. "I didn't mean to interrupt a moment between you and Mr. Nick, Mystic Maya."

_(What the heck does Pearls think we're doing?!)_

He let go of Maya's face at the same time Maya let go of his and he gave Pearl a sheepish grin. "It's okay, Pearls…but it's not what you're think—" He halted abruptly, considering what he was about to say, because technically, it _was_ what she was thinking this time, sort of. That is, if Maya's gift meant what he thought it meant. And based on the evidence, he was pretty sure it did.

He looked quickly back at Maya, deciding to let her answer. She smiled at him, still looking flushed, and then turned to Pearl.

"It's all right, Pearly! But do you think you could give Nick and I a few more minutes alone?"

"Certainly, Mystic Maya! It's Valentine's Day, after all. And you and Mr. Nick seemed to be getting along so well!" Pearl punctuated this with a vigorous nod and a giggle before taking her leave

Nick stared at Maya, waiting to see what would happen next.

_(If I hadn't had __**sufficient **__**evidence**__ before…)_

"Hey, come down here for a second," Maya said, yanking roughly on his tie and forcing him to comply with her demand.

But he couldn't have cracked a joke about her nearly choking him with his own tie even if he'd wanted to, for he was silenced by a whisper in his ear and a quick peck on his cheek.

Which, after a shocked pause, he happily returned with a slightly lengthier peck on her mouth.

_(…I certainly do now.)_

x x x


	5. 003 Funeral

Agh, sorry for the late update. School is lame. D:

This is a serious fic for once, rather than a fluffy one. x_X; It was actually pretty sad for me to write. e_e but anyways, if you haven't seen it on CR already...enjoy! :)

x x x

**003. Funeral**

It was one of the worst days of his life, but he knew the loss he felt wasn't close to even half of what Maya Fey had to be going through.

Phoenix was amazed at the crowds that the funeral drew—he expected a few of Mia's fellow attorneys to be in attendance, as well as other people from the precinct who'd worked with her before, but he never anticipated the vast sea of people that turned up to pay their respects. Even Miles Edgeworth and Detective Gumshoe were present, though the prosecutor's face looked stonier than usual, and the creases between the detective's eyebrows seemed deeper.

Everyone was dressed in black. Gumshoe shed his usual grubby attire for a surprisingly nice suit jacket, and Edgeworth traded his magenta garments for an ebony pea coat. Still, it was Maya's outfit that seemed the most depressing to Phoenix. Though he had just met her shortly after the murder of her sister, he'd already grown accustomed to her seemingly inexhaustible wardrobe of bright purple acolyte robes. To see her in a simple but elegant black dress was almost otherworldly.

And he hated himself for noticing, but she looked _really_ pretty—if only it didn't have to be for this occasion.

The way her cloudy cobalt eyes remained trained on the ground the entire way to the funeral, threatening to leak tears onto the sidewalk at any moment, made him feel like his heart was breaking.

…No, breaking wasn't quite the right word for it.

It was more like ripping.

When it came time for Maya to speak and she stepped up to the podium in front of the solemn audience and began, "I am Mia's sister, Maya, and I'd like to share a few words with you about her…" her voice sounded so crackly and unsteady, like a worn-out gramophone, that it made Phoenix's eyes sting with repressed grief.

He remembered the last time he'd cried in public—it was at his own trial years ago, when Mia had been his defense attorney and told him the truth about the murderous intents of his college girlfriend Dollie. For some reason, the memory made him want to laugh in spite of his grief, or maybe because of it. The sadness of everything was becoming unbearable.

Maya managed to keep it together long enough to get through her eulogy, but as soon as the coffin was lowered into the ground she started sobbing. She stiffened when Phoenix reached a hand out towards her, so he changed his mind and lowered his arm.

When the ceremony was over, he offered to walk her home. He didn't know what else he was supposed to do.

"I-I…don't want to go home yet…i-if that's okay with you…" she murmured, hanging her head. Her hair, freed from its usual style for once, hung like a curtain across her cheek and obscured part of her face. Tears still dripped from her chin and her speech was quiet, though she was breathing normally now. "The thought of my apartment seems really…l-lonely right now…"

"Of course," he said quickly, wanting to be as consoling as possible even though he was on the brink of his own breakdown. "Where would you like to go? Back to the office? Or somewhere to eat?" He cringed at his insensitivity; what kind of person offered food to a girl who'd just attended her sister's funeral?

"Actually…" She lifted her head up and looked into his eyes. A hand rested on her stomach. "…I could really use a burger right now."

"Huh?!" He'd said it louder than he meant, but he couldn't help it. It wasn't quite what he'd been expecting to hear.

"No…make it two burgers. Or three. Yes, that's it. Three double cheeseburgers." She still wasn't quite smiling, but he could tell she wanted to distract herself. Her voice was growing a little bit stronger.

"Th-three?" He let out a low chuckle, bewildered but amused. He was eager to be distracted, too. "Um…sure, I think we could manage that."

"No, no, on second thought…I'm in the mood for steak. Let's have a steak dinner, Nick, just the two of us."

Phoenix paused, shocked for a few moments longer, before he grinned, a real grin now. He put his arm around her shoulders and felt relieved when she didn't move away this time. "Steak, huh? Sounds good. I think I know a place."

She nestled in under his arm and smiled just a little herself, the curving of her mouth barely perceptible to anyone but him.

"Good, because I'm starving."

x x x

_(Looking back on that day, when we went to Mia's funeral…_

…_I think that was when I knew._

_I could never leave this girl— this young woman._

_I'd always be with her._

_And I hoped she'd always be with me, too.)_

x x x


	6. 012 Fantasy

Squeezing this one in before the day's over. :P I've been crazy busy with school so writing has become a bit of an impossibility. But I'll keep doing my best!

This is pretty much a complete turnaround from the last prompt, haha XD; it's based on a scene from T&T that's always stuck with me, and I had fun with it :3 that's where all the lines are taken from. it's short and sweet. Enjoy! :D Thanks to all my reviewers so far--keep it up! ;)

x x x

**012. Fantasy**

"Welcome! Bee-avenue."

The greeting originated from somewhere behind him, and the voice was charmingly bright and cheerful, despite its owner's mispronunciation.

_(Wow. What a cute voice.)_

"Oh. It's just you, Nick."

He nearly jumped out of his skin when he turned to face the girl who'd spoken.

"M-Maya!"

Phoenix knew Très Bien's manager Jean Armstrong had basically strong-armed Maya into becoming a waitress for the restaurant, but he hadn't really considered how she'd have to dress for the part.

Her hair was the only thing he could recognize, for it was still arranged in its familiar style. However, she'd traded her spirit medium clothes for the waitress uniform, and the results—well, it certainly made him do a double take.

Then a triple take.

And finally, he simply stared and let his imagination run wild for just a moment, darting across the puffy sleeves and over the frilly apron and down those legs—goddamn, those _legs_! How had he failed to notice them before, even if she was always wearing her acolyte attire? Surely he had to be blind to ever miss them—it was hard to believe he was that oblivious.

For a fleeting moment, he felt himself sympathize with Victor Kudo. The old man might be a pervert, but he had damn good taste.

"Well? How do I look?"

Her question jerked him out of his fantasy world. There was a pause before he answered; he found that his throat was suddenly dry and it was a struggle to swallow. It felt like he'd been caught doing something naughty and now he had to banish all wicked thoughts from his mind before he could speak.

Finally, he managed to mutter the only honest answer he could give without letting on to just how much her uniform had, uh, _moved_ him:

"…Maybe you should quit being a spirit medium."

x x x


End file.
